(Chris Van Vliet): Wow, I’m so glad we’re doing this in person, Sean!
(Sean): I know, mate, it’s been a while!
(Chris Van Vliet): It has, we’ve talked before for ages and we keep saying we need to sit down in person and it’s great we’ve finally had the time to do it.
(Sean): I know, you were meant to come to Scotland, mind I invited you to my place.
(Chris Van Vliet): You know the last time we properly talked was right before the world shut down in April of 2020.
(Sean): That’s crazy, man. Doesn’t feel like three years.
(Chris Van Vliet): I mean we were talking like, nah this isn’t going to amount to anything, of course the shows are gonna keep happening! I mean do you still have your home back in the UK or are you permanently in America now?
(Sean): Nah, I’m permanently here now. I sold my flat back in Dunfermline. I was getting taxed in two different countries and I was like nah, f*ck this.
Sean and Chris both laugh as Sean continues speaking.
(Sean): I was just like nah man this is too much, especially for what I was making at the time, it just wasn’t worth it. So I’ve just got my apartment in Pasadena. Plus my aunt lives back in Scotland still and we made sure her and my cousins are set for life so Butch, Wisdom, the kids and I, we’ve always got somewhere to go.
(Chris Van Vliet): That’s cool. You’re looking great by the way! You look like you’re about to burst out of that tank top!
They laugh again as Sean looks down at himself.
(Sean): Hahaha, honestly it’s ridiculous mate. I’ve been putting on more muscle mass because according to Sensei I’m a little scrawny. As long as I don’t wanna get those f*cking ridiculous shoulder pads Brock Lesnar has.
Chris almost drops his mic as he belly-laughs at Sean’s last comment.
(Chris Van Vliet): So, you’re seriously putting on more muscle mass? What’s brought that on? Because you’ve always been in shape.
(Sean): Yeah, mate. I mean I still want to be able to fly and jump around the way I do but you seen the nick of some these guys we’ve got back? They’re like the bloody Stay Puft Marshmallow Man fae Ghostbusters, man.
(Chris Van Vliet): I mean the transformation is incredible.
(Sean): Thanks man.
(Chris Van Vliet): How much have you put on exactly?
(Sean): At the moment? Since the Reunion show it’s about 20lbs.
(Chris Van Vliet): 20lbs?! Seriously?
(Sean): No word of a lie, mate, I’m about 220 now. I feel it too. I mean see trying to do shooting stars now, you feel it in the gut, you can’t tuck in as much.
(Chris Van Vliet): And that’s just hitting the gym harder?
(Sean): Yeah, mate, weights, carbs, fats, proteins and all that. I mean I’m used to hitting the gym every day and putting the work in but I’ve never had to bulk before so it’s a different mindset. Like I know how to work a barbell and do the leg machines and all that but I never put much stock into why I was doing them. But look at guys like Will Ospreay, I mean he was the king of the Junior Heavyweights in New Japan and he was literally the same build as me. And you see the nick of him when he faced Kenny at Kingdom in January, and I’m like Christ, he can go! I mean he’s shredded and buff but he can still go, you know?
(Chris Van Vliet): Well if people looked at you even like last year until now, the difference is crazy.
(Sean): Thanks man. I mean it pays when you’ve got uncle like Butch Parker, you know…
Sean and Chris casually laugh.
(Sean): I mean, the ####’s built like a brick shithouse… shit I really need to stop cursing so much!
They laugh again, Chris wiping the tears from his eyes.
(Sean): I’m serious, mate, I’m so bad. Every second word’s like Sean whispersf*ck or shit. I keep having to catch myself. Even in like promos, I’m effing and blinding all over the place.
(Chris Van Vliet): Oh, is this is the new girlfriend?
(Sean): Yeah, mate.
Sean can’t help but smile at the mention of Michelle.
(Chris Van Vliet): She doesn’t like you cursing?
(Sean): It’s just the way she was raised that’s all, mate. it’s not a bad thing, don’t get me wrong. But see when you’re Scottish, you’re practically raised on using the F-word as a bridge to the next word, Like “can you effing believe what that cheeky effing C-word did there?” to then go from that to actually having to almost reprogram my brain, it’s been a challenge. But like cursing for me, it’s not cursing if you know what I mean, it’s like an extension of my vocabulary, I’m not calling someone a c*nt because they’re horrible, it’s just Scottish vernacular. The British vocabulary’s just different man, I could say “he’s a gid c*nt eh?” because someone’s done me a good turn. But if you called an American a c*nt they’d be like Sean puts on a fake American accent what the f*ck man, I’ll f*ck you up! So yeah, having to like unteach my brain not to say the eff word in between every other word, it’s taking some getting used to. I think Michelle actually wants to start a swear jar for me.
(Chris Van Vliet): I was gonna say because you love a good curse, Sean!
Sean smiles despite himself.
(Sean): I know, I know but, you know, it’s a small sacrifice.
(Chris Van Vliet): So tell me, how did that all come around then?
Sean takes a drink a from a bottle of water before repositioning his microphone.
(Sean): Me and Michelle?
(Chris Van Vliet): Yeah, because it kinda seemed to come out of the blue.
(Sean): It did to be honest. I mean we’ve been friends for years, man, ever since she started in the academy about two, three years ago. I helped her get settled, showed her the ropes, literally. But it was nothing more than that. And you know when you get a really good female friend and you start to think hmmm, I wonder if we could be more than friends?
(Chris Van Vliet): Well, yeah, but I’ve been friend-zoned more times than I can count!
(Sean): Hahaha, well it was a few months ago and I started getting a bit of a crush. I mean she’s so great and caring. She sees the best in everyone, literally everyone! I mean even after what Fallen and Legion said about her before my match with Stu-E Price, she was literally praying for them.
(Chris Van Vliet): She’s a Mormon, is that right?
(Sean): Yeah, the Church of Latter Day Saints.
(Chris Van Vliet): And that doesn’t bother you?
Sean has a surprised look on his face.
(Sean): Why would it? She has her beliefs and she stands by them which I have the utmost respect for. I know from what she’s said and overhearing her on the phone that her parents are quite strict but she’s not a pushover you know, she’s independent enough to stand on her own two feet. I’d be lying though if I said I wasn’t nervous about meeting her parents though.
(Chris Van Vliet): Oh, are we there already? Meeting the parents?
(Sean): No, God no. We’ve only been dating about two, three weeks. We’re going steady as she likes to say so I think it’s safe to say it’ll be on the cards at some point in the not-so-distant future.
(Chris Van Vliet): And dating a fellow wrestler, what’s that like?
(Sean): I don’t really have anything to compare it to in all honesty, Chris. Since I recovered from my injury and got back in the ring, I’ve literally had no time for dating. I had a girlfriend or two back in Scotland in my early, late teens but it was just silly high school stuff. But it’s great because we automatically have a subject to talk about that we both have in common. And even already, I think she’s helped me grow as a wrestler and as a person, if you don’t count the swearing!
(Chris Van Vliet): So let’s talk first of all about your uncle then, Butch Parker. A living legend, one of the greatest of all time and now, for the past seven, eight years, one of the co-owners of HWA. I mean we’ve seen you on TV, more so pre-injury. What’s it like working for him, alongside him? Is it difficult separating being an employee to being family? What’s the dynamic like?
(Sean): Well, I mean, you said it yourself firstly, he’s a legend, isn’t he? I mean he’s on so many people’s Mount Rushmores of favourite wrestlers. He’s the reason I wanted to do it myself!
(Chris Van Vliet): Whoa, okay hold up, let’s get it this out of the way first of all!
Sean laughs, knowing what’s coming.
(Chris Van Vliet): Who is on Sean Parker’s Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling?
(Sean): You dick! I knew you were gonna ask me that! Hahahaha!
Chris laughs too, holding his hands up in innocence.
(Chris Van Vliet): Hey man, I’m just doing my job, as an unbiased journalist.
(Sean): Unbiased journalist my arse, haha. Mount Rushmore? F*ck, you’re putting me on the spot, Chris. Let’s see…
Sean holds his free hand out with only his thumb up.
(Sean): Butch firstly, obviously, it goes without saying. Purely for the fact of his longevity, the clinics he’s put on, winning World Championships in four different decades and just what he’s given back to the business too…
Sean extends his forefinger.
(Sean): Sensei Matthew himself, Red Dragon.
(Chris Van Vliet): Really? That’s an interesting choice because he hasn’t quite had the career of a typical Hall-of-Fame-worthy wrestler.
(Sean): Honestly, mate. You’ve no idea how good he is. Like seriously. What you seen of him in HWA back in 2004, 2005 and then briefly when he returned in 2009, that’s nothing. It’s like when Vader or Dusty Rhodes came to WWE after their careers in WCW. Vader was an absolute monster in WCW and in Japan. He came to WWE and they didn’t know what to do with him and he just got wasted. Now I’m not saying Sensei was misused in HWA but he had so much more to offer than what he was able to show. Like if you can, go back on New Japan World and watch his older stuff, like his 90s stuff when he graduated from being a Young Lion, and he had bangers with Liger, Chono, Kawada, Misawa.
(Chris Van Vliet): Really?
(Sean): Honestly, mate, proper chef’s kiss stuff. Like he doesn’t make us call him Sensei. I call him because he was literally my Sensei when I earned my karate black belt under him. The Academy calls him Sensei because he commands that level of respect. Like all the stuff you’ve seen me do, it’s all him. Like yeah, Butch started my journey for me, but Sensei Matthew was there from my first rehab session all the way to now. So yeah, he’s on my Mount Rushmore, for sure.
(Chris Van Vliet): Wow, that’s incredible. We’ll talk more about him later as I know he announced his return to the ring last week. But who’s number three for you?
Sean doesn’t waste any time as he extends his middle finger to join his thumb and forefinger.
(Sean): Buff Bridges. Without a doubt. I mean for me, he’s the only that’s even above Butch for impact in HWA and that’s just because he was there longer and Butch had a terrible time with injuries. Buff’s just unreal, he’s like the Ric Flair and the Hulk Hogan of HWA combined. So many people talk about Cena, about Flair, about Austin, even Reigns more recently. The fact that Buff is absent from so many of those GOAT conversations is an absolute travesty.
(Chris Van Vliet): I know what you mean, I mean I’ve been watching wrestling for about thirty years and Buff is on mine as well.
(Sean): See exactly, he stood the test of time. So many people in that early noughties era of HWA couldn’t handle the weight of carrying that company and you can put Butch in that bracket too.
Sean points behind him as if Butch were standing there.
(Sean): He’ll tell you himself. He won the title from Thane Givens but struggled with the magnitude of being a mainstay torchbearer. Buff man, he was different. He won the world title four times in the space of two years, carried it for over a year. He won the HWA Title 10 times man, that’s never gonna be surpassed, I don’t care what anyone says.
(Chris Van Vliet): Hard to disagree with you on that one. And number four?
(Sean): AJ Styles.
(Chris Van Vliet): AJ? Nice choice, I know you’ve spoken before about how much that match at TNA Unbreakable in 2005 had such an impact on you.
(Sean): Aw man, you’re no joking. That match for me is up there with the greatest of all time.
(Chris Van Vliet): It’s so good, right?
(Sean): Aw, banging, mate, banging. All three of those guys, AJ, Joe, Daniels, they all shone that night.
(Chris Van Vliet): And was it that match that changed your life in terms of wanting to become a wrestler.
(Sean): Definitely. That match and Butch’s 2004 Ring Master win. But in terms of the style I wanted to go for, that AJ match. I just remember seeing Joe and Daniels on the outside and AJ doing that springboard shooting star and I was just like whoa, that’s what I want to do.
(Sean): So went off on a bit of a tangent there, my bad! I asked you about working with Butch and that whole business slash family dynamic.
Sean puffs his cheeks out and scratches the back of his head before he answers.
(Sean): I mean, it’s worth noting that I view Butch as my father. He’s literally the father I didn’t have. I was very young when my dad died and yeah I knew him and I remember him but Butch has been in my life and shaped my life more than because he’s been in my life longer. So yeah, it’s hard to sometimes separate family and business because he’s the boss, right? I mean it’s been well-documented what happened before the first Havoc and how I reacted and my attitude and I think just not being used to how a man in his position needs to act when HWA is in the position it is now. Because see before? From like 2016 through to 2022, it was like what companies like ROH were like. It was like just go out, have a banger and come backstage. There was no pressure on us, you know? But I’ve made my peace with it, I know I was a dick, you know? It was like the penny dropped and my thought-process just clicked back into place. But I paid for it. I let so many people down, Jeremy who I was meant to have a match, Butch, Wisdom. I mean I’ve prided myself on wanting to be the best wrestler in the world, that’s the dream. I want to be known as one of the GOATs in 20 years and I feel I inadvertently set myself back a fair bit from achieving that.
(Chris Van Vliet): I think you’re a bit harsh on yourself, don’t you think?
(Sean): Not at all. I’m meant to be the locker room leader of our new generation of wrestlers. I’m the one that’s meant to be setting the standard and showing everyone the way and both Matt and myself have probably been guilty of letting the side down. We can’t be the best if we’re not leading the way for the rest of the roster.
(Chris Van Vliet): You mentioned Wisdom earlier who is your Aunt as well. What’s she like? I mean we see this beautiful but fierce woman on our TV screens each week but what’s she like?
(Sean): Aw mate, she’s amazing.
(Chris Van Vliet): Is she really? Is she not scary?
(Sean): Don’t get me wrong, she’s bloody terrifying at times. I’m not downplaying or making light of what happened before but see that meeting she had with me when she pulled me from Havoc? I was this close…
Sean holds his free hand up, holding his thumb and forefinger close together to emphasise his point.
(Sean): ….to both shitting myself and throwing up at the same time. No word of a lie, she’s probably the single most intimidating person I’ve been in a room with and that includes Butch and Sensei Matthew. But she’s so amazing and supportive. If you’re in a bad way, she’ll drop what she’s doing and drive three hours straight to make sure you’re ok.
(Chris Van Vliet): Moving things along to more recently, these last few weeks you’ve been involved in a lot of verbal sparring with Legion of the Darqsiders, formerly the Dark Templars. I don’t mean to cover old ground because I know you’ve covered it a lot yourself in what you’ve said to him but let’s just set the scene. You got injured in 2009, one of the most horrific wrestling injuries in history, at the ends of some sloppiness from Legion’s uncle?
Sean nods. He looks more serious as the conversation moves towards a more serious topic.
(Sean): Yeah, I mean, like you’ve said, I’ve spoken about it many times. Legion thinks I go on about my injury a lot but it’s important to me to remind myself of what I went through, it keeps me grounded.
Sean takes another moment, looking away for a second before answering.
(Sean): You know, I know his uncle didn’t mean to hurt me. I know things like this happen, albeit not often and almost never as severe as what happened to me. But I was robbed of so many years of my life because of what happened. If he’s ever showed remorse, he’s never shown to me, you know? I never once received a phone call, or a letter, a message apologising or trying to mend fences. And then his nephew comes in and actually mocks me for it? Like actually pokes fun at and what is he incompetent uncle did to me? And then he said those horrible things about my girlfriend to try and rile me up only to screw me out of my match? And then he has the gall to call me toxic? Pfft. I’m sorry, I know I’ve already said this before, it just pisses me off, you know? It’s why I’m so happy Butch booked this match for me, it’s a chance for me to get some closure.
(Chris Van Vliet): Are you worried about losing focus in the ring? You know, the bell rings you see him standing in front of you? Are you worried about seeing the proverbial red mist?
Sean sways slightly in his seat, screwing his face up.
(Sean): I dunno to be honest, I won’t know until I’m in that situation. I want to say no, that I’ll be laser-focused and all that jazz but all that could go to shit the minute that bell rings, you know. I’ll just be glad when it’s over. I know I can beat him. He’s likely a decent wrestler, he’s a big guy, he’s got the look, the build. But I know I’m operating on another echelon, I just haven’t had the chance to showcase it yet.
(Chris Van Vliet): Staying with that theme, we had a major blockbuster announcement on the HWA Twitter account last week. Your mentor, your teacher, Red Dragon not only announced he was coming out of retirement for one more match, but it was confirmed that either you, Matt Miller or Jeremy Branson will face him. Although you’re rightly focusing on Legion, that’s gotta be playing in the back of your mind.
(Sean): Oh man, I’m still in shock. I mean I would’ve been happy just being able to sit in the back and watch him perform, hell, I’d sit in the crowd! So to have the opportunity to be the one to potentially give him his last match? Man…
Sean leans back in his chair and runs his hand through his hair. He ripples his lips. He emphasises the point with a point of his finger.
(Sean): That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it?
(Chris Van Vliet): It’s dream stuff, right?
(Sean): It’s exactly that, mate. Matt, Jeremy and I are all capable of putting on an absolute and it’s that and also competing against Sensei Matthew that will show the world just what Sean Parker is capable of.
(Chris Van Vliet): That sort of leads me into my next question. Your aspirations in this business? Obviously you said you want to be the best.
(Sean): Yeah, that’s the ultimate goal. When people, years from now talk about the best, I want to be in that conversation. I know I need continue to improve my skills and become a champion in the HWA and whenever championship competition is introduced, that’s what I’ll be aiming for. As much as I love my uncle and I’m proud of my wrestling heritage, I want to be known for my own success, my own accomplishments.
(Chris Van Vliet): Finally, it’s no secret you’re a big fan of video games.
Sean smirks.
(Chris Van Vliet): We’ve seen it on your ring attire, you’re obviously huge on Twitch and you’ve incorporated your love into your move set too. How did video games inspire you so much?
(Sean): Mate, I’ve been playing video games since I was like four years old. I know I’m still young but I’m a retro guy. Whether it’s music, wrestling, video games, I love to acknowledge the house that built everything, you know? So like classics, Monster Hunter, Final Fantasy, Street Fighter etcetera, they all made a big impact on my childhood so it made sense to tie into my wrestling too.
(Chris Van Vliet): And am I right in saying Final Fantasy is your favourite?
(Sean): Final Fantasy VII, yeah, it’s just a class above for me, so influential and it’s stood the rest of time for nearly 20 years, I’ve completed it god knows how many times.
(Chris Van Vliet): And that’s what you’ve you’ve almost incorporated into your moves and things?
(Sean): Yeah, among other games and influences, yeah.
(Chris Van Vliet): Sean, thanks so much for taking the time to talk to me today, it means so much.
(Sean): No worries at all, I’m just glad we were finally able to do this, it’s been a pleasure.
(Chris Van Vliet): Well, good luck at Havoc and for your career, I’m sure we’ll be talking about you for many years to come.
(Sean): Thanks man, that means a lot.
Sean and Chris shake hands as the scene fades to black.
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